SAN FRANCISCO – Head coach Jim Millinder is pleased to announce that he has promoted Pinder Nijjar to Associate Head Coach. The move comes prior to the Dons 2021 season which kicks off on Sunday when USF hosts Oregon.

"I'm elevating Pinder Nijjar to associate head coach," said Millinder. "He has worked hard for the program the last five years and continues to take on more responsibilities for our program. I think Pinder has a lot of great qualities that I like and I believe this will allow him to become a great head coach at the Division I level at some point. He has a very good feel for the game and continues to work hard with the team in many aspects of the game.  He's turned into an outstanding recruiter, loves the analytics of the game and certainly does a very good job on the field with trainings and team shapes etc. I think a well-timed and well deserved promotion."
 
Nijjar came to the Hilltop as a volunteer assistant in 2016 and was promoted to top assistant and recruiting coordinator in June 2018. As the recruiting coordinator he has seen an influx of talent, which has seen five freshmen earn WCC All-Freshman honors, including current Dons, Catherine Hill, Jayd Sprague, and Marissa Vasquez.
 
On the pitch, Nijjar works specifically with the forwards and midfielders. During his time on the Hilltop the Dons went from 195th in the nation in scoring in 2017 to 79th in 2018 and to 46th last season 2019. He oversaw three of the most successful goal scorers in USF history, including Samantha Jehnings (second all-time), Sonja Giraud (seventh) and Miciah Madison (10th). In 2019, the Dons had two active players in the top-10 in goals scored for the first time since 1994.

Off the field, Nijjar also oversees match film analysis with the team and also all aspects of individual player performance analysis. Using multiple match clipping technology tools to evaluate the clips of their performance and also using GPS vests and heart rate monitors to provide specific and detailed performance feedback.

"I'm just so fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of an amazing coaching staff and being around these amazing young women at USF," said Nijjar. "I feel so lucky to have spent this amount of time and being able to coach this team and competing in the WCC. I never would have imagined that I'd be in this position after coming in as a volunteer assistant back in 2016. I came in just eyes wide open to be honest and wanting to learn off the experience and knowledge that Jim has. I'm really grateful to Jim for giving me this fantastic opportunity in continuing working with this great team. I'd also like to thank Joan McDermott, Linda Lappe and Mark Papadopoulos for their continued support for our team and giving us all the resources as a staff."